NEW YORK, NY.-Sothebys Wine auctions in 2010 brought an overall global total of US$88,270,602; this is more than double last years figure and the highest in the companys forty years of wine auctions. The year once again saw extraordinary demand from Asian collectors with every bottle offered in the eight Hong Kong auctions finding a buyer and major Asian participation in London and Hong Kong sales.

Serena Sutcliffe MW, Worldwide Head of Wine at Sothebys said: This has been a landmark year for Sothebys Wine. We achieved our largest ever total and now hold the record for a standard sized bottle, a bottle in any format and for a wine lot sold at auction. The phenomenal worldwide sell through rate was led by Hong Kong where every bottle in every sale has found a buyer. January 2011 marks my 20 year anniversary as Head of the Wine Department and I am thrilled to be celebrating it in Hong Kong with the Andrew Lloyd Webber Wine Collection which we are offering on 22 January.

RecordsThe Lafite Ex Cellars sale set a new record for a single standard sized bottle at auction when a bottle of Château Lafite 1869 sold for $232,692. This means that Sothebys now holds the world records for both a standard bottle, a bottle in any format - the Jeroboam of Château Mouton Rothschild 1945 which fetched $310,700 in February 2007 in New York  and any wine lot at auction  50 cases of Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 which sold for US$1,051,600 at Sothebys New York in 2006.

Hong Kong Sales All SoldIn addition to the superb total, 2010 has been marked by an exceptionally strong sell through rate. Globally 99% of wine lots found buyers, and in Asia, every sale Sothebys has held in Hong Kong since January 2009 has been 100% sold  making a total of 6560 consecutive lots sold. Sothebys is the only auction house to have achieved such a remarkable record. The Asian sales were led by the two auctions of wine direct from the Châteaux - Cheval Blanc, Yquem and Dom Pérignon which fetched $2.6 million in May and Lafite Ex Cellars which brought $8.3 million in October.